Good afternoon,
As you may know, I am the current Chair of the Family Law Section. I am writing to ask that you assist us in opposing pending legislation, S4510/A5761. The Family Law Section actively participated in amending the bill in June. We support the June version, which was passed by the Senate. This bill, however, was newly and substantially amended on Monday, December 15th. The NJSBA has officially opposed the newly amended legislation, but we need your help in contacting your legislators. This bill is unfortunately moving at lightning speed, so it is imperative to have as many voices heard as possible.
Below is a sample draft email that you could send to your legislators:
Dear Senator/Assemblyman/Assemblywoman ________:
I am a family lawyer, and I am writing to ask that you vote no on S4510/A5761. This bill will cause harm to the children and families of this state for numerous reasons as briefly outlined below:
First, the amended bill prohibits a court from ordering any therapy in a child custody matter unless there is generally accepted and scientifically valid proof of the safety, effectiveness, and therapeutic value of the therapy. This language would require a court to conduct a plenary hearing to order any therapy and would require expert testimony. This could effectively cut off access to therapeutic services to many families in a child custody dispute. Further, it essentially eliminates reunification therapy by requiring consent of both parties, which would rarely occur.
Next, rather than safety of a child being a factor as it exists under our current law, this bill makes safety a threshold issue in any custody decision. While safety of a child is something everyone supports, the bill is based on allegations alone without a finding of domestic violence or child abuse. This could lead to plenary hearings being necessary based on false allegations resulting in delays to even a temporary custody and parenting plan such that children will be cut off from fit parents.
Third, it directly involves children in custody disputes in a manner and to such a degree that the potential resulting harm is immeasurable.
I urge the legislators to reinstate the prior version of S4510 with Amendments from June 30, 2025 and vote no on the current S4510/A5761.
The link to find a legislator is here. The emails are built mainly the same – abbreviated office name sen for Senator, last [email protected] (i.e., [email protected]) or for Assemblywoman it is asw and for Assemblyman it is asm).
I am asking that you email your legislators, the sponsors of the bill, and the Senate and Assembly leadership.
Sponsors:
[email protected]
[email protected]
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Assembly Leadership
[email protected]
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[email protected]
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Senate Leadership:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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[email protected]
Thank you and Happy Holidays to everyone.
Best,
Cheryl
Cheryl E. Connors, Esq.
Tonneman & Connors, LLC
530 Prospect Avenue
Bldg. 1, Suite C
Little Silver, NJ 07739
(732) 696-2500
(732) 696-2499 fax
www.tcnjlaw.com
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